When Bruce hits the streets to collect for Mary Potter Hospice, his canine companions often tag along.
“There was one time, on a freezing day collecting outside Moore Wilson’s, that a lady going into the shop left her beautiful Golden Retriever dog with me,” recalls Bruce. “The dog snuggled up next to me and warmed me up! I have two dogs of my own, and now I take them with me when I do the Street Appeals. They get lots of attention from passers-by.”
Bruce has been collecting for the Hospice since the mid-1990s. He got involved because the company he was working for at the time encouraged employees to take time out to go and help with the Street Appeals. “I’ve been doing it ever since and I really enjoy it,” Bruce says.
“The other collectors are such nice people, and the interactions you have with the public are great too. One particular interaction comes to mind, when a young lady came up and said ‘here’s a donation’, and put $100 in the tin! I said ‘that’s incredibly generous, thanks so much’, and she replied that the Hospice had looked after her dad so well, it was the least she could do. That kind of recognition of the amazing work the Hospice does is so rewarding.”
Two close friends of Bruce’s have been cared for by the Hospice, and he was impressed by the care they received. “One of those friends was a really big guy, 6 foot 10 or so, and he had motor neurone disease. He went into the Hospice for respite care, and he just raved about his experience at the Hospice and the care he received there.”
Bruce also volunteers serving lunches at the Mary Potter Inpatient Unit every four weeks. “I’ve
been doing the meal service for 15 years or more,” says Bruce. “It’s a closer interaction with the Hospice itself, and the staff you meet are phenomenal people. Everyone I’ve come across, be they staff, patients, or patients’ families, have been just lovely.”
Bruce would advise anyone thinking of becoming a Street Appeal collector to go for it. “It’s an opportunity to meet a whole bunch of generous, kind people, both the people who give money and the other collectors. I swear by it. Taking a couple of hours out on a weekend is nothing compared to the work that the Hospice does for the people in its care. If you want a positive experience in your life, just do it.”